Though recently more involved with series of Bach and Beethoven piano works, it was with Chopin that Murray Perahia first made his name, winning the 1972 Leeds Competition with the E minor Concerto which opens this five-disc set.
The recordings are drawn from all decades since that breakthrough, including a 1974 version of the Sonata No 2 which also dazzled the Competition judges. Perahia's grasp of the rhythm, harmony and texture underpinning Chopin's music is nonpareil, not least in the Waltzes and Mazurkas; while the balance of academic ingenuity and emotional impact in the two sets of Études is considered their definitive realisation.
DOWNLOAD THIS Grand Valse Brilliante in E-flat major; Mazurka No 4 in A minor; 12 Études Op 10; 12 Études Op 25
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